beginner 10 min

Get OpenCode — Download and Connect to Copilot

Overview

OpenCode is an open-source desktop coding agent. Once installed, it can connect to GitHub Copilot as a provider, which means you get access to Claude Opus 4.5 and the other premium models bundled with your Copilot Pro subscription — no extra API key needed.

This page walks through: download, pick Copilot as the provider, sign in with GitHub, verify the connection, start a session, and choose a model.

Prerequisite: Copilot Pro active on your GitHub account. If you are a student or faculty, follow GitHub Education — Free Copilot Access first.

Watch the full walkthrough

The YouTube series is the most complete guide — screenshots below mirror the same steps.

▶ Open the Agentic AI in Life Science playlist on YouTube

Steps

Step 1 — Download and install OpenCode

  1. Go to opencode.ai/download
  2. Download the build for your OS (macOS, Windows, Linux)
  3. Install and launch the app
  4. Make a project folder first, e.g. create a testing AI folder in your Documents. OpenCode needs a project folder to work in.

Step 2 — Open Settings

Click the ⚙️ gear icon in the bottom-left corner of the OpenCode window.

OpenCode home screen with Settings gear highlighted

Step 3 — Choose GitHub Copilot as the provider

  1. In Settings, open the Providers tab
  2. Select GitHub Copilot

Providers list with GitHub Copilot selected

Step 4 — Start GitHub sign-in

Click the github.com link (or Sign in with GitHub) to begin OAuth device authorisation.

Copilot provider panel with github.com link

Step 5 — Verify the device code

OpenCode shows a short code and opens github.com/login/device in your browser. Enter the code there to verify.

Device verification screen with code

Step 6 — Authorise OpenCode

GitHub asks you to authorise OpenCode to access your Copilot subscription. Click Authorize.

GitHub OAuth authorise screen

Step 7 — Start a new session

Back in OpenCode, click the ＋ button to create a new project session and point it at your testing AI folder.

OpenCode new session button

Step 8 — Select a Copilot model

Open the model picker and search copilot. Pick Claude Opus 4.5 (or any other model available through your Copilot subscription — GPT-4.1, Gemini, etc.).

Model picker filtered to Copilot models

You are now running OpenCode on Copilot-hosted Claude. Return to the Setup tutorial to start your first prompt.

Troubleshooting

  • No Copilot models appear. Confirm Copilot Pro is active at github.com/settings/copilot. Education benefits can take up to 72 hours to propagate.
  • Device code expired. Close Settings, reopen, click github.com again to request a fresh code.
  • “Not authorised” after sign-in. Your org may restrict third-party OAuth apps. Check github.com/settings/applications and approve OpenCode, or ask your org admin.

Alternative — OpenRouter instead of Copilot

If you do not have Copilot Pro, you can use OpenRouter as the provider instead. Same flow, but in Step 3 pick OpenRouter and paste an OpenRouter API key. Free models on OpenRouter may train on your data — check each model’s policy before use.